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Masterbuilt Smoker is one of the best brands of smokers sold in the online world today. However, just like any other product, you may encounter some issues and concerns along the way. It’s a good thing that Masterbuilt Smoker troubleshooting tips are available to help customers like you when faced with different problems. Allow us to present to you the 5 most common issues and troubleshooting tips for your Masterbuilt Electric Smoker. Hopefully with these tips it will ease some frustration when you may encounter one of them.
Masterbuilt Electric Smoker Temperature Issues and Troubleshooting Tips
Most new customers who are just starting to learn about how to use their Masterbuilt Electric Smoker have a challenging time to reach the temperature they like. This usually results in longer smoking and keeping an eye always on the temperature because of no idea how it really works. The most common concerns and questions include “How long do I need to smoke a whole turkey or a whole chicken?” or “How should I plan smoking different types of meat?”.
Based on the Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures of USDA, here are the ideal temperatures for different foods to ensure that they are safe to eat:
Food | Temp °C | Temp °F |
Fish | 63°C | 145°F |
Steaks and Roasts of Veal, Lamb or Beef | 63°C | 145°F |
Pork | 71°C | 160°F |
Ground Beef, Lamb, or Veal | 71°C | 160°F |
Egg Dishes | 71°C | 160°F |
Whole Poultry (Chicken, Turkey, Duck, etc.) | 74°C | 165°F |
Ground or Poultry Pieces (Chicken Breast, etc.) | 74°C | 165°F |
Important Things to Remember to Avoid Temperature Issues
- The Masterbuilt Electric Smoker is considered a slow smoker, so you need to allow enough time to cook your favorite dishes.
- Upon purchasing the smoker, it is important to “preseason” before using it the first time to get rid of unwanted manufacturing oils, dust, and dirt.
- Pre-heat the electric smoker for about 30 to 45 minutes at its maximum temperature before you load food.
- Never cover the racks with aluminum foil because it will not allow proper heat circulation, and only makes cooking a lot slower.
- Don’t overload the Masterbuilt Electric Smoker with food. Doing so can trap heat and lengthen your cooking. It may also cause uneven meat cooking.
- Remember that the temperature reading on the control panel will normally fluctuate as the smoker cycles on and off about more or less than 10 to 15 degrees.
Masterbuilt Smoker Troubleshooting Tips
Tip #1: Leave enough space between the food on racks and the sides of the smoker to ensure
adequate proper heat circulation. Are you using cooking pans? Place cooking pans on the center of the rack to ensure even cooking.
Tip #2: Remove excessive food, only accommodate food according to the loading capacity of the smoker. Masterbuilt Electric Smoker parts can be obstructed like the racks and heating element causing prolonged cooking.
Tip #3: In order to retain the heat and moisture, you need to close the air damper on top of the unit. If you are cooking foods like jerky or fish, you can cook via an open-air damper in order to release moisture.
Tip #5: The smoker temperature may spike briefly once you add more wood chips, but it will stabilize within a minute or two. Don’t adjust the temperature setting to avoid temperature issues.
Masterbuilt Electric Smoker Wood Chip Loader Issues and Troubleshooting Tips
There are customers facing issues with Masterbuilt Electric Smoker wood chip loader. Others are not simply aware of the right type of wood chip they need to use for their dishes. The most common questions are, “How can I use my smoker wood chip loader?” and “Can I use wood chunks?”.
Step-by-Step Guide to Using Masterbuilt Smoker Wood Chip Loader
Step #1: Pre-soak the smoker wood chips in the water for about 30 minutes.
Step #2: Before you start the unit, add 1 cup of wood chips inside the unit’s wood chip loader. Do not use more than 1 cup of wood chips at the same time. Do not use wood chunks.
Step #3: Insert the smoker’s wood chip loader into the smoker.
Step #4: Turn the handle to “Unload”. The wood chips drop onto the unit’s wood chip holder.
Step #5: Turn the handle to “Load”. Just leave the smoker’s wood chip loader in place inside the Masterbuilt Electric Smoker.
Step #6: Checking your wood chip holder periodically is important to determine if the smoker wood chips were burned down. Just remove the smoker’s wood chip loader and look into Masterbuilt Smoker through the hole. You can add more wood chips as required.
Step #7: During the smoking process, you can add more wood during chips as needed. Just keep the smoker door always closed when you’re adding more wood chips. Always keep in mind that an important Masterbuilt Smoker troubleshooting involves being knowledgeable about the Masterbuilt Electric Smoker parts. Your smoker wood chip loader will get hot even if the handle is not hot.
Step #8: When adding more wood chips, turn the handle to the “Load” position on the Masterbuilt smoker. Pull your wood chip loader from the smoker, and place some wood chips, then re-insert the wood loader into the smoker. Turn the handle to the “Unload” position.
Masterbuilt Smoker Troubleshooting Tips
Tip #1: it can be time-consuming loading wood chips every time. The smoker wood chips should be along with the level on the top rim of your wood chip loader when inserting wood chips into the loader.
Tip #2: Sometimes, wood chips get stuck or overloaded. To avoid this from happening, the unit’s wood chip loader should be pulled out completely from the Masterbuilt Electric Smoker when the level of the smoker’s wood chip is being checked.
Masterbuilt Electric Smoker Safety Issues and Troubleshooting Tips
Because you are dealing with an electrical appliance, you may have a lot of concerns and questions about the safe use of this smoker. Here are the best Masterbuilt Electric Smoker troubleshooting tips to remember:
Tip #1: Do not bump or impact the Masterbuilt Electric Smoker.
Tip #2: Do not move your Masterbuilt Smoker when you’re using it. Allow the unit to cool completely prior to moving or storing.
Tip #3: Be careful and keen when you are removing food from an electric smoker. Take note, that you need to consider all surfaces as hot and may cause skin burns. It is important to use a pair of protective gloves or sturdy and long cooking tools.
Tip #5: Don’t cover the cooking racks with a metal foil because it traps the heat and may cause severe damage to your electric smoker.
Tip #6: Drip tray is intended only for the smoker bottom area. Don’t put the drip tray on the cooking racks as doing so may cause damage to your Masterbuilt Electric Smoker parts.
Tip #7: When disconnecting, turn the control panel “OFF” and then remove the plug from the outlet.
Tip #8: Dispose all ashes in a metal foil and soak it with water then throw it away in a
non-combustible container.
Tip #9: Don’t store your electric smoker containing hot ashes left inside the unit.
Tip #10: Only use Masterbuilt Electric Smoker parts and avoid using accessory attachments that are not recommended by the manufacturer to avoid injuries.
Tip #3: The types of wood chip to use can be overwhelming and confusing. To give you an idea, here are the best wood flavor for fish and the following types of meat:
Food | Wood Flavor |
Poultry | Hickory, Mesquite, Alder, Pecan, Maple, Apple, Cherry |
Pork | Hickory, Alder, Pecan, Maple, Apple, Cherry |
Beed | Hickory, Mesquite, |
Fish | Hickory, Alder, Pecan, Apple |
Ham | Hickory |
Lamb | Mesquite |
Masterbuilt Electric Smoker Cleaning Issues and Troubleshooting Tips
Sometimes, you might be faced with a tedious cleaning task. One Masterbuilt Smoker troubleshooting tip is to clean your smoker right away after it cooled down. This is done to prevent oils and food crumbs from sticking and hardening, making cleaning more difficult. Here’s how you should clean your Masterbuilt Electric Smoker:
Tip #1: For water bowl, drip tray, and cooking racks, you can use a mild dish detergent. Rinse properly and dry thoroughly.
Tip #2: For a wood chip loader and wood chip holder, clean them frequently to remove all residue, dust, and ash buildup.
Tip #3: For the interior Masterbuilt Electric Smoker parts such as glass door, meat probe, and light cover just simply wipe them down using a damp cloth. The same is true for exterior Masterbuilt Electric Smoker parts. Avoid using a cleaning agent. Dry the parts thoroughly.
Tip #4: The inside seam and door seal should be cleaned after every use to
keep the seal in its proper working condition.
Tip #5: Another Masterbuilt Smoker troubleshooting tip is making sure that the unit is unplugged from the power socket and cool to touch prior to cleaning as well as storing.
Other Masterbuilt Electric Smoker Issues and Troubleshooting Tips
Issue | Cause | Resolution |
Power light not turning on | -Not plugged properly into the wall -Tripping house fuse -Controller wire connector not connected to the smoker | -Check connections. -Check household fuse. |
Heating is longer than usual more than 60 to 70 minutes. | -Smoker plugged in an extension cord -Door is not closed properly | -Use wall unit -Close the door properly and securely fasten the latch |
Grease leaks out of the electrical smoker. | -Drip pan is not in place -Excessive oil or grease build-up | -Reposition the drip pan so the hole lines up with the bottom unit’s drain hole. -Clean your electric smoker |
No smoke | -Not enough or no more wood chips | -Adding more wood chips will help |
Temperature decreases rapidly | -Faulty control smoker | Contact Masterbuilt technical support at 1-800-489-1581 |
Control display error message | -Malfunctioning controller | Contact Masterbuilt technical support at 1-800-489-1581 |
Power light is turned on but smoker is not heating. | -Malfunctioning controller | Contact Masterbuilt technical support at 1-800-489-1581 |
Controller not adjusting heat | -Malfunctioning controller | Contact Masterbuilt technical support at 1-800-489-1581 |
Final Words
Now, you are more knowledgeable about determining possible issues and solutions for your Masterbuilt Electric Smoker. Hopefully, this Masterbuilt Smoker Troubleshooting Tips have helped you a lot today.
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set the temp. at 200 degrees f,when the heat indicater light went out it continued to heat to 300.ca I buy a new control system
Masterbuilt 145S smoker temperature setting want go past 250 degrees. Manual book said pre-season smoker set temperature to 275 deg. Mod. MB20071819